‘Chechnya doesn’t want independence’ - Kadyrov

Chechnya does not seek independence and values its status within Russia, says head of the Chechen republic Ramzan Kadyrov.

“The Chechen people will not allow the tragedy of war to repeat,”

Kadyrov stressed in an interview to a Turkish journalist who asked him whether Chechnya would fight for independence.

"No! We want a quiet life. We want to bring up children, and we want a future for them. We want to build amusement rides, spend vacations by the sea and travel. We want to live! We’re fed up with fighting, my friend,” he said.

Kadyrov added that religion tells a Muslim to take care of the land where they live and “if Chechnya fought for anything, that’s for the safety of this land and the entire state.”

“We are part of Russia. Russia preserves Muslim traditions in the country, that’s why we value a lot our right to live within this country,” the Chechen head pointed out.

Another question dealt with Russia’s foreign policies and relations with other states. Ramzan Kadyrov said that such ties can only be strong if they are based on equality and mutual respect. “We won’t let anyone violate our rights in our own country or interfere in Russia’s domestic affairs,” the leader of the republic outlined. “We help those who are in need of our help. This is the stance of the Russian Federation and, as head of one of its subjects, I share this position 100 per cent.”

He reminded that Russia traditionally maintains friendly ties with the Arab world. In his opinion, this is due to the fact that Russia respects all confessions. Kadyrov added that through his travels across Muslim countries he knows that many of them want friendly ties with Moscow, including Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

As for the states with have faced the Arab Spring, Kadyrov believes that Russia should protect Libya, Syria and Egypt.

“If it were in my power, I would do everything to help these countries,” he said. “Human rights are being violated there. None of international resolutions is complied with… And after all, it turns out that for those who provoked bloodshed in the region there are no rules. This is something I do not understand.”